Algood Park System Town Hall Focusing On Family Opportunities

Algood gave residents the chance to comment on the systemwide parks master plan during a Tuesday night town hall.

Putnam County Commissioner Cathy Reel was in attendance and said she likes what she heard when it comes to affordable recreation opportunities in her district.

“Not everybody gets to go to the Titans games in Nashville, or go to the Predators games,” Reel said. “So this is an outing for families to get together, to bring their kids. You know, to socialize with other families and just have a great time in the community.”

Topics extended beyond the city’s planned 21-acre park, phase one of that project is set to break ground this summer. City Administrator Keith Morrison said the final parks master plan will be sent to the council in August for approval. Morrison said if the city’s proposed amphitheater can be achieved that will add another inexpensive way to stay and play in Algood.

Roy Phipps with Parks and Recreation said adding things to do, where recreation exist could be the key moving forward.

“We’ve been talking about not just building this nice park and what all can we do with that,” Phipps said. “We can improve what we’ve already got, like the tennis court. Kind of toying with the idea of maybe we build a pavilion there, put a little playground equipment. That’s a single use park if you don’t play tennis, it’s useless to you.”

Another feature for recreation mentioned by council members in attendance involved equal access for those with disabilities. Morrison said that inclusive play opportunities are a growing field.

“The thought down the road was to include play levels of all disabilities,” Morrison said. “So that everybody had an equal opportunity to play because that’s a big component of playground equipment today. Having it to where if they’ve got auditory issues, or wheelchair or whatever the impairment is that they have an opportunity if there’s something there they can play on.”

Morrison said that phase one of the 21-acre park will have bids accepted July 13.

Algood’s $600,000 amphitheater grant application has a deadline set on August 3. Morrison said the grant requires a 50 percent match. A town hall meeting will be held before that date.